to think that 20 grand on benefits a year is loads

[MrsBucketxx]

considering they dont pay any income tax.

just watching we pay your benefits program and worked out that this is over 30 grand if it was a normal tax paying salary.

why was this not mentioned.

£70 for food and bills and clothes and stuff - yeh that's amazing

and media and art are careers - people do work in these areas you know

We need creative people for a vibrant economy

20k on benefits seems like alot. When dh and I started out he, I and dd1 lived on 11k. No housing benefits, no child tax credits (it was a long time ago). We really struggled, and would've been better off on benefits.

BUT things got better, jobs changed, promotions were won. We made the right decision in our case. Luckily, we were well educated and that opened doors. Worked hard, and that opened doors, and actually some of it is just good luck.

That doesn't mean we begrudge those on benefits though. There are often very complex issues around those on benefits long term. We get that.

If you look at the statistics very little of our tax money goes to those on benefits. It's really a drop in the ocean.

Ok, I'm a single mum of 2. I get roughly £15,600 per year. I would never complain as, like people say I don't work for it. Oh and free school meals which are worth £20 per week for how ever many weeks they are in school

However. £9,568 of that goes straight into my landlord pocket. I happen to know he has no mortgage on the property, and refuses to do anything other than the most basic repairs.

Thanks to my ex declaring himself bankrupt, and leaving me with massive debts, I pay £780 per year on gas and electric debts. My council tax has gone from nothing to £156 per year, which admittedly is not a lot. There are other debts that he left me with that I am currently negotiating on.

Once I've paid those things, I'm left with £5,096 to feed and clothe 3 of us. Then pay gas and electric, water rates etc.

It's not a lot. And many people I know IRL are horrified when they hear how much I live on. But, like I said I am grateful for what I get,.and don't feel I can.complain.

Child benefit goes down after first child. And its not 70 per week even for the first child

Child benefit is £13 for the second and successive children

Tax credits are around £62

£70 was quite a conservative estimate, it's actually more like £80.

And when the media industry starts crying out for workers I am sure people will train in it.

Fact is you cannot expect to study something with no jobs and then fly into a job, doesn't work like that in any country.

yes for everything the child needs (and I don't agree that it's that much) including a roof, heat, light, clothes, food, school trips, shoes ...

These threads are so sad.

The real issue is the insane cost of rent/housing. I may be wrong but large amounts of welfare costs go on hb often to private ll. I really wish the government had tried harder to stop house prices rising. Even with the so called price crash, some areas were barely touched. Now london house prices are set to go up by 6%. A lot of people made a lot of money,but the money is like a debt that future generations will pay if that makes sense. And who makes money out of mortgages, the banks of course, oh the irony.

The other massive area of expense are OAPs but somehow the media never report this. Not saying that they don't deserve money, only that people will live longer and this will only get worse..

Be careful what you wish for. Disability, bereavement and sickness can happen to anyone.

This ^^

plenty of people work in the media industry - you know that right? you know TV, news papers, films, the internet that kind of thing?

not everyone is cut out to be an engineer

I expect twenty grand a year does sound like loads, if you're working for less than that. That doesn't mean benefits are too generous. It means wages are too low. It baffles me how so many people don't see this.

Thanks ineedanewnickname your posts really illustrates where a large percentage of the money. I am sorry your ex is a twat. Is it worth considering bankrupcy yourself? Your position is awful.

Filee check your maths. Where does 70 per week come from

Ah hang on, youre not just talkig about cb. But then you run into other issues around the calculation.

The media industry does not need graduates right now, that's my point, what we need is it specialists, social workers, child workers, nurses, doctors and plenty of other people.
That its such an insane suggestion to so many that people actually train in something they can actually get a job in to support their family and perhaps curb their breeding a little bit rather than expecting the state to pay for their kids makes me despair, completely.

perhaps filee is thinking of £70 a month per child? I receive £140 a month for two altho as most of you know that is not quite 50.50 per child.

What areas have jobs available? And what if you have no interest in/aptitude for these areas? I happen to be studying a fairly creative subject, but it's one of very few industries that are growing, and I always have the option of becoming self-employed. Most people aren't so lucky.

House prices are ridiculous. Childcare costs are ridiculous. Living costs are ridiculous. And none of that is going to change, because the people at the top are comfortable, and the rest of us can take a running jump as far as they're concerned.

how do you know they don't need workers - they are still recruiting

you know that the government has CUT social workers, child workers, nurses etc don't you?

Great idea, filee - I'd love to train to be a doctor. Are you volunteering to fund that? Because the state seemingly has no plans to - that would cost the taxpayer precious pennies.

Child tax credits are £60 a week, child benefit is £13/20 per child.

exactly Joyful people ban on and on about 'us tax payers' paying for people to sit around doing nothing - they fail to realise that it's pensioners they mean not the unemployed

2.6% of the total budget 2.6%

Filee777 you do realise that that is part of a families TOTAL weekly budget and has to go toward food, clothing, gas, electric, water rates, council tax, etc etc - it's not actually ring fenced money just for kids